Henderson and João Pedro lead Chelsea to 5-1 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea led 2-0 inside three minutes and won 5-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Henderson's 70th-minute free kick was the final goal, and Xabi Alonso's side moved up the table.
Two goals inside three minutes
Chelsea scored twice in the opening three minutes at Stamford Bridge on Saturday 10 October, leaving Bournemouth chasing the game almost from kick-off. Jordan Henderson opened the scoring in the second minute with a strike from outside the area, following a pass from Cole Palmer, according to AD.nl and Ouest France. Morgan Rogers doubled the lead in the third minute. SAPO timed the two goals at 149 seconds in total and described the early 2-0 lead as a new record for a Premier League match. The second goal was first credited to Bournemouth defender António Silva as an own goal, but a VAR check gave it to Rogers.
Second half and Bournemouth's reply
Chelsea kept attacking after the restart. João Pedro struck in the 46th minute with a shot into the top corner, making it 3-0. Evanilson pulled one back for Bournemouth in the 51st minute, cutting the deficit to 3-1. João Pedro scored again in the 67th minute with a poacher's finish from close range, and Henderson's free kick in the 70th minute made it 5-1. Ouest France noted that Chelsea conceded once more, from a poorly cleared corner, and that the club has not kept a league clean sheet since 17 January. The same article described Bournemouth's defence as the worst in the Premier League.
- Jordan Henderson opens the scoring for Chelsea
- Morgan Rogers makes it 2-0, credited after a VAR check
- João Pedro scores to make it 3-0
- Evanilson scores for Bournemouth to make it 3-1
- João Pedro scores again to make it 4-1
- Henderson scores from a free kick to make it 5-1
Form and table position
Chelsea had lost 3-0 at Brentford shortly before the international break, and Ouest France counted three league matches without a win before this game. The Guardian described the result as Chelsea's first league win in four games. Xabi Alonso has been manager since last summer, and the Guardian linked his arrival to a shift in transfer strategy towards experience. Henderson, a 36-year-old former Liverpool captain, joined from Brentford this summer and marked his home debut with two goals and an assist for Rogers. The sources disagree on the table: the Guardian and Ouest France place Chelsea fifth, while AD.nl puts them tenth with ten points from six matches. Bournemouth are 18th on 3 points according to Ouest France, or 17th according to AD.nl.
António Silva's afternoon
The former Benfica defender started for Bournemouth under coach Marco Rose and was involved in both early goals. Notícias ao Minuto reported that Benfica sold Silva for a fixed fee of 25 million euros plus 5 million euros tied to performance targets. Silva's attempt to cut out Rogers's shot put the ball into the net at three minutes, and the video that the outlet published shows the moment. Chelsea's line-up also included Pedro Neto, whom Alonso started from the first whistle. Silva's afternoon ended with the own goal that the VAR check later reassigned to Rogers.
